LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A visit to the Eiffel Tower , the Statue of Liberty and the Pyramids is on the itinerary of most jet-setting travelers .

Visiting the Eiffel Tower was voted the most overrated experience by tourists .

But some of the most famous and iconic tourist attractions in the world are the most disappointing to actually visit , according to a survey of British tourists .

And those questioned did n't think too highly of their own country 's best-known landmarks either , with Big Ben , Buckingham Palace and the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain also turning people cold .

Travel expert Felice Hardy explained why many tourists , often after spending inflated amounts on reaching and then viewing the most famous places , are left with a feeling of anti-climax .

`` It 's easy to be swayed by brochures that opt for the mainstream and focus on clichéd tourist sights around the world , '' she said . `` But many of them are overcrowded and disappointing .

`` Pick carefully and do n't always go for the obvious . Natural phenomena are usually more exciting than the man-made , and can be wonderfully free of tourists . ''

The Eiffel Tower -- described by Hardy as `` frustratingly overcrowded and overpriced '' -- was dubbed the most disappointing international sight .

Britain 's biggest letdown was Stonehenge , a sacred Druid sight in the rural south of England , which was dismissed as `` an isolated pile of rocks in a usually muddy field '' by Hardy .

The Diana fountain resembled `` a colorless wet skateboard park '' while as far as Big Ben was concerned : `` Once you 've seen it , you 'll know what time it is -- time to go somewhere else . ''

Three of America 's most famous sights -- New York 's Times Square and Statue of Liberty plus The White House in Washington also made the list of shame .

But the 1,267 adults questioned by Virgin Travel Insurance also nominated the best places to visit in the world , with the Treasury in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan topping the list .

Other unmissables included the Grand Canal in Venice , Italy , the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya and Australia 's Sydney Harbor Bridge . Alnwick Castle in Northumberland was voted Britain 's top tourist sight .

TOP TEN MOST DISAPPOINTING GLOBAL SIGHTS

1 . The Eiffel Tower , Paris ; 2 . The Louvre , Paris ; 3 . Times Square , New York ; 4 . Las Ramblas , Barcelona ; 5 . Statue of Liberty , New York ; 6 . Spanish Steps , Rome ; 7 . The White House , Washington DC ; 8 . The Pyramids , Egypt ; 9 . The Brandenburg Gate , Berlin ; 10 . The Leaning Tower of Pisa .

TOP TEN MOST DISAPPOINTING UK SIGHTS

1 . Stonehenge ; 2 . Angel of the North . Gateshead ; 3 . Blackpool Tower ; 4 . Land 's End , Cornwall ; 5 . Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain , London ; 6 . The London Eye ; 7 . Brighton Pier ; 8 . Buckingham Palace ; 9 . White Cliffs of Dover ; 10 . Big Ben .

TOP TEN BEST GLOBAL SIGHTS

1 . The Treasury at Petra , Jordan ; 2 . The Grand Canal , Venice ; 3 . The Masai Mara , Kenya ; 4 . Sydney Harbour Bridge ; 5 . Taroko Gorge , Taiwan ; 6 . Kings Canyon , Northern Territory , Australia ; 7 . Cappadoccia caves , Turkey ; 8 . Lake Titicaca , Peru and Bolivia ; 9 . Cable Beach , Broome , Western Australia ; 10 . Jungfraujoch railway , Switzerland .

TOP TEN BEST UK SIGHTS

1 . Alnwick Castle , Northumberland ; 2 . Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge , County Antrim ; 3 . The Royal Crescent , Bath ; 4 . Shakespeare 's Globe Theatre , Southwark , south London ; 5 . The Backs , Cambridge ; 6 . Holkham Bay , Norfolk ; 7 . Lyme Regis and the Jurassic Coast , Devon and Dorset ; 8 . Tate St Ives gallery , Cornwall ; 9 . Isle of Skye , Scotland ; 10 . The Eden Project , Cornwall E-mail to a friend

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Some of most iconic global tourist attractions are most disappointing to visit

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The Eiffel Tower , the Statue of Liberty and the Pyramids on the list

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The Treasury in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan voted the best place to visit